Machine for coating golf balls or the like



C. W. .HAYNES MACHINE For: COATING GOLF BALLS 0R THE LIKE Mgy 23, 1939.

Filed June 27, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 23, 1939. v c. w. HAYNEsMACHINE FOR COATING GOLF BALLS OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 CHESTER W.HAYNEs KW ,L7M

Filed June 27, 1938l ATTORNEYS May 23, v1939; c. w: HAYNES 2,159,850

I MACHINE FOR COATING GOLF BLLS OR THE LIKE I .Filed June 27, 1938 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

CHESTER W. HAYNEs A TTORNE YS able spring actuated detent mechanism ofany suitable form, indicated at 0l, cooperating with notches 68 in ai'lXed segmental member 09 to dene the various operative positions ofthe carriage, as later explained.

In Fig. 3 the carriage is at the end of its rearward stroke, and thefingers :t0-3| are open, having just discharged a row of coated balls onrack I4.

As the initial operation of a cycle of operations the operator swingslever 6| to the right as viewed in the figures, to move the carriagefrom the position of Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4, in whichthe gripping fingers clear the receiving frame l5. Shaft 24 is thenrotated 180 in its bearings to swing the lingers and the other partssupported by the shaft, including cam 5l, to the position shown in Fig.5. By means of lever 6I the carriage is moved to the extreme forward endof its stroke in which position the open ingers 30-3l pass between balls6,0 arranged in a row on a loading platform l0 of hopper H, as sho-wn inFig. 9. In this position, as shown in the latter figure, arm 55 of thelinger-operating cam is in the path of a trip member 7|.

As best shown in Fig. l, the bottom of hopper is groo-ved as at 'l2 toarrange the balls in longitudinal les, the grooves being extended ontothe loading platform l0. Referring to Figs. 2, 9, and l0, the hopper l!is pivoted at 'Hi to spaced brackets 'i5 mounted on frame l0. Pivots lllare positioned slightly off the center of gravity of the hopper towardthe loading platform and the main portion of the hopper normally restson a supporting member 'l0 (Fig. 2) which is made adjustable as at l? sothatY the row of balls at the loading position on platform i0 may beadjusted vertically with respect to the gripping fingers. A shaft '18,rotatably mounted in brackets 15, carries a cam lug 79 adapted, whenshaft 'I8 is rocked clockwise as viewed in Figs. 9 and l0, to engage thebottom of the hopper, and tilt the hopper as shown in Fig. 10. Shaft i8is provided with an operating lever 80 formed with an extending portion3| to which is connected one end of a link 92, the other end of which isconnected to one member of a knuckle linkage 83 supported by a standard8&2 and carrying a trip member 7|.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 9, in which as abovedescribed fingers Bil-3| are in position between the leading row ofVballs on the loading platform, lever 89 is swung to the position shownin Fig. 10. The initial portion of the movement of lever 80 causes tripmember ll to engage handle 55 of the gripper operating cam 4l to rotatethe latter and cause the fingers to engage the balls. Further movementof the lever 39 causes cam lug 'i9 to engage the bottom of the hopperand tilt the latter in to the position shown in Fig. 10, retracting theloading platform from ball supporting position and causing the illes ofballs in grooves l2 to advance and replace the row of balls which havebeen seized by and are now held suspended in the gripper lingers 30-3I.

To assure proper feeding of the balls from the hopper a blade 90 issupported by depending arms 9|, pivoted at their upper ends to thehopper at 92, in position to enter a slot 93 formed across the front ofthe hopper. Blade 90 is constrained to enter the slot 93 by springs 9d.connecting the lower ends of arrnsl to the hopper at 95. When the'hopper is in its normal or horizontal position, shown in Fig. 9, blade90 is held outwardly of the slot 93 by hooks 9B engaging the adjacentend rod 2| of the carriage supporting frame. As the the gripped ballsare held suspended over coating tank I3.

Coating tank I3 is periodically raised, to immerse the balls as shown inFig. 1, and then lowered, by continuously operating means best shown inFigs. 2 and 1l.

Tank v|3 is provided adjacent its ends with downwardly extending posts|00, reciprocating in suitable guides not shown, and provided on theirlower ends with rolls I0| resting on cams H02, secured to a shaft |03journaled in depending brackets |05. Shaft |03 is constantly driven froma motor |05, the shaft of which is connected to a conventional gearreduction unit |06 to drive a shaft 50i carrying a sprocket |03.Sprocket |08 is connected by chain |09 to a sprocket H0 mounted on acountershaft which carries a sprocket l2 connected by a chain I3 to asprocket l5 secured to shaft |03 intermediate the cams |02.

The cams |02 are so contoured that the rising movement of the tank toimmerse the balls as shown in Fig. ll is relatively more rapid than thedownward movement. The latter movement is so timed that as the ballsslowly emerge, any 'I surplus coating material ilows from the emergingball, leaving a uniform coating on the ball and preventing theaccumulation of any substantial amount of coating material at the lowerside of the ball as the latter finally leaves the coating liquid,gravity and the surface tension of the liquid in the tank both acting todraw the maximum of surplus material to the tank and from the ball atthe break. As soon as the tank has cleared the balls, the operatorrotates shaft 2@ f through an are of by means of handle 56 to bring thefingers 30-3I with their engaged balls to an upright position, thusreversing the position of the balls so that any excess of material onwhat had previously been the lower half of the gf ball spreads itselfunder the action of gravity.

During the dipping operation the operator restores the hopper operatinglever to the position shown in Fig. 9 in readiness for the next cycle ofoperation, and also places a rack M, see Fig. 1,

on the free ends of rack frame l5 at A, Fig. 2. As best shown in Fig. l,the racks are cut away or notched along their forward edges to form aplurality of projections |20 positioned to pass between the gripperlingers and beneath the engaged balls. Portions |20 are provided with aplurality of sho-rt spikes |2| upon which the balls are deposited, aswill be now described.

As soon as the lingers have been swung to an upright position, lever 6|is operated to move the carriage to the position shown in Fig. 3, andthe gripper lingers are separated by swinging cam operating handle 55 tothe position shown in the latter figure. Upon their release by thegripper fingers the balls drop onto the spikes 22| of the rack and theparts are in position for the next cycle of operation.

The racks or trays I4 are preferably automatically moved rearwardly onframe 5 by means of pawls |23 pvoted to the free ends of arms |24adjustably secured at to rod 66 of the carriage. The length of arms |24is made such that .when the carriage is at the extreme right-hand end ofits travel, as viewed in theA figures, that is, at the loading positionof the grippers, the pavvls |23 clear the end of the rack supportingframe l5. When the carriage moves from loading position to the coatingposition shown in Fig. 2 the pawls engage the previously loaded tray onthe end of the frame at positionA andy moves it rearwardly on the frameto position B, thus leaving room for the operator to place' an unloadedtray at the end of the frame in position A While the dipping operationis in progress as previously described. Movement of the carriage todis.- charge position as shown in lig. 3, moves the pre.- viously loadedtray to position C. On the next advance of the carriage to loadingposition, pawl |23 is drawn beneath the newly filled rack at A in themanner shown in `lig. 13.

As Will be clear from the drawings, the fingers til- 3i are pointed sothat no discernible marks are left at their point of contact. `Itis'desirable that the fingers be kept relatively free of paint and itis, therefore, desirable after a number of dippings to Wash the fingers.For this purpose a Washing tank 230 is provided. Tank 230 is supportedon a pair of spaced posts 23| vertically slidable in the frame lo andsupported at their lower end on curved cam arms 232 secured to a rockshaft 23? rotatably mounted in hangers 23d secured to frame iii. Thecurved tank -supporting arms 232 are normally maintained in Vloweredposition by a spring 235 connecting an oppositely extending arm 238secured to shaft 233, to frame iB. Arms 232 are adapted to. be rocked toraise tank 23B into position to immerse and Wash the gripper fingers bymeans of a foot treadle 23T pivoted tov frame I0 at 238 and connected bya link 239 to the arm 23.5. A spring actuated catch mechanism 211D isprovided to releasably engage the treadle 23! to hold the tank 23E!temporarily in Washing position.

I claim:

1. A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises a ballfeeding means, av ball coating means and a ball receiving means, areciprocable gripping mechanism adapted to transport balls successivelyfrom said feeding means to the coating means and finally to the ballreceiving means, means to reciprocate said gripping mechanism and meansfor rotating the gripping mechanism` through an arc of substantially 180from the coating position to deliver the balls in reversed position tothe receiving means.

2. A device for coating golf balls or the like Which comprises, areciprocating carriage, grippers on said carriage for releasablyengaging the balls to be coated, means to reciprocate the carriage,means at one end of the carriage travel for feeding balls to thegrip-pers, means at the opposite end of the carriage travel to receivethe balls from the grippers, and means in the path of travel of thecarriage intermediate said ball feeding and ball receiving means forimmersing the gripper held balls in a coating liquid.

3. A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises, areciprocating carriage, a gripper sup-port rotatably mounted on thecarriage, grippers mounted on said support for releasably engaging theballs to be coated, means at one end of the carriage travel for feedingballs to the grippers, means at the opposite end of the carriage travelto receive the balls from the grippers, means in the path of travel ofthe carriage intermediate said ball feeding and ball receiving means forimmersing the gripper-held balls in a coating liquid and means. torotate the gripper support through an arc of substantially 180 from rthe immersing position to deliver the balls in reversed position to thereceiving means.

4L A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises a grippersupport mounted for rotation about a horizontal posed gripper fingerscarried by said support and extending radially therefrom, said fingersbeing mounted on the support for movement to- Ward and from each other,means for feeding balls int-o position to be engaged by the gripper imounted on said rails, a shaft rotatably mounted at its ends in saidbearing members and forming with the latter a reciprocable carriage, aplurality of sets of opposed pivotally mounted gripper iingers supportedon said shaft, cam actuated means for simultaneously swinging theopposed fingers of each set of gripper fingers toward each other toengage a plurality of balls, means to rotate said shaft in the bearingmembers to swing the grippers bodily from a depending position to anupright position, and cam means for sepa- :u

rating the grippers to discharge the balls therefrom while the grippersare in an upright position.

6. In a device for coating golf balls or the like, a reciprocablecarriage, opposed gripper fingers mounted on the carriage for movementtoward and from each other, cam means for moving the gripper fingers,ball feeding means positioned in the path of carriage travel andincluding a loading platform adapted to support the balls in position tobe embraced by the open gripper lingers as the carriage moves to loadingposition, means to retract the loading platform from ball supportingposition and means operable to actuate said cam means to cause thegrippers to engage l the balls prior to the retraction of the loadingplatform.

'2. In a device for coating golf balls or the like, a reciprocablecarriage including a gripper supiport, opposed gripper fingers mountedon the sapport, said support being rotatably mounted on the carriage topermit bodily movement of the gripipers through an` arc of 180 from anupright to a depending position, means for opening and closing thegripper fingers, ball feeding means positioned in the path of thegripper fingers when the latter are in a depending position, saidfeeding means including a loading platform for supporting balls in aposition to be gripped by the ngers and means operable to actuate thegripper lingers and thereafter retract said loading platform to leavethe balls suspended in th-e gripper fingers.

8. In a device for coating golf balls or the like, a reciprocablecarriage including a gripper support, rotatably mounted on the carriage,a plurality of sets of opposed gripper fingers mounted on said supportfor movement toward and from each other, a pair of rods slidably mountedin the support and respectively connected to the oppositely movinggrippers of each set, a rotatable axis, op- ,f

fili) cam member for simultaneously sliding said rods in oppositedirections for opening and closing the gripper fingers, ball feedingmeans adjacent one end of the path of carriage travel including aloading platform adapted to support a series of balls in position to liebetween the open iingers of the grippers in one position of rotation ofthe support, means operable to rotate the cam to close the gripperfingers and to thereafter retract the loading platform to leave theballs suspended in the gripper fingers, and a ball receiving meanspositioned at the opposite end of the carriage travel to underlie theballs in the gripper ngers when said support is rotated substantiallyfrom its loading position.

9. In a 4device for coating golf balls or the like, a reciprocablecarriage including a gripper support, rotatably mounted on the carriage,a plurality of sets of opposed gripper fingers mounted on said supportfor movement toward and from each other, a pair of rods slidably mountedin the support and respectively connected to the oppositely movinggrippers of each set, a rotatable cam for simultaneously sliding saidrods in opposite directions for opening and closing the gripper ng'ers,ball feeding means adjacent one end of the path of carriage travelincluding a loading platform adapted to support a series of balls inposition to lie between the open iingers of the grippers in one positionof rotation of the support, means operable to rotate the cam to closethe gripper lingers and to thereafter retract the loading platform toleave the balls suspended in the gripper fingers, and a ball receivingmeans positioned at the opposite end of the carriage travel, saidreceiving means including a frame and a plurality of racks slidablysupported thereon, said racks being provided with projecting portionsextending' between the gripper iingers and beneath the balls when thegripper support is rotated substantially 180 from its loading position,and pawl means connected to the carriage for advancing the racks alongthe frame as the carriage moves from loading to discharge position.

l0. A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises areciprocating' carriage, grippers on said carriage for releasabiyengaging the balls to be coated, means to reciprocate the carriage, ballfeeding means adjacent one end of the carriage travel for supplyingballs to the grippers, means adjacent the other end of carriage travelto receive the balls from the gripper, a dipping tank for coating liquidpositioned intermediate the ball feeding and ball receiving means, and

means to raise and lower the tank to immerse the gripper-held balls inthe coating liquid.

11. A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises areciprocating carriage, grippers on said carriage for releasablyengaging the balls to be coated, means to reciprocate the carriage, ballfeeding means adjacent one end of the carriage travel for supplyingballs to the grippers, means adjacent the other end of carriage travelto receive the balls from the gripper, a dipping tank for coating liquidpositioned intermediate the ball feeding and ball receiving means, andmeans to raise and lower the tank to immerse the gripperheld balls inthe coating liquid, said last-named means being operable to lower thetank at a relatively slower rate than its upward immersing movement soas to minimize any excess of coating material left on the low side ofthe emerging balls.

12. A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises areciprocating carriage, grippers on said carriage for releasablyengaging the balls to be coated, means to reciprocate the carriage, ballfeeding means adjacent on-e end of the carriage travel for supplyingballs to the grippers, means adjacent the other end of carriage travelto receive the balls from the gripper, a. dipping tank for coatingliquid positioned intermediate the ball feeding and ball receivingmeans,

and means to raise and lower the tank to img,

merse the gripper-held balls in the coating liquid, said last-namedmeans including a cam adapted to time the upward and downward movementof the tank, so as to minimize any excess of coating material left onthe lower side oi' the emerging balls, and power means for driving thecam.

13. A device for coating golf balls or the like which comprises, areciprocab-le carriage including a gripper support, opposed gripperfingers mounted on the support, said support being rotatably mounted onthe carriage to permit bodily movement of the grippers through anarc of180 from a depending position to an upright position, means forsupplying balls to the grippers, a dipping tank for coating liquid,means for raising the tank to immerse the balls in the coating liquidwhile the grippers are in a depending position and operable tothereafter lower the tank, and ball receiving means positioned toreceive the balls from the grippers when the gripper support has beenrotated 180 to bring the grippers to upright position.

CHESTER' W. HAYNES.

